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Alias, Kaydara announce MotionBuilder 6

updated 07:35 pm EDT, Tue August 10, 2004

by MacNN Staff

MotionBuilder 6 announced

Kaydara and Alias today announced (announced yesterday), the rebranded Alias MotionBuilder will offer improved usability, advanced keyframing functions and increased character animation controls. "MOTIONBUILDER 6 is our next logical step in building the best 3D animation software on the market," said Michel Besner, president of Kaydara. "The new version includes many improvements that make it more powerful and easier to use, and is an ideal solution for even the most demanding keyframe artists." It will ship in September starting at $1000.

MotionBuilder 6 is designed for a wide variety of visual development, including game development, feature film pre-visualization and layout, and television series. It will offer unique features such as "smart" character technology (HumanIK), 3D story-timeline tool and real-time photorealistic rendering, according the companies. "MOTIONBUILDER 6 allows 3D artists to easily create high-quality, visually compelling animated content using a true WYSIWYG environment and without having to master difficult tasks such as building custom rigs and complex character setups."

Other new features of MotionBuilder 6 include a simplified user interface that includes a totally new customizable picking mode and toolbar for better manipulation and workflow control. The new UI also features a new screen layout that maximizes the size of the 3D viewer. The enhanced Keyframe Animation functions, include improved IK/FK sync, autokey, animation path and trajectories, and MotionInspector, a "revolutionary" new way of managing motion curve dynamics.

New character animation functionality includes multi-referential animation for characters and props; user-defined character setups with built-in support for props; constraints and custom properties; and improved animation controls with degrees of freedom, pivots support and referenced properties.

Version 6 will also offer an improved story-timeline that includes increased flexibility and workflow, allowing users to easily edit 3D animation tracks in combination with audio, video and constraints. It also features an independent camera track to work out camera shots and timing independently of the animation timeline for maximum flexibility.

MotionBuilder 6 will be available in September for Mac OS X 10.3, although Kaydara's website indicates an October 2004 ship date. The Standard version is priced at $1000, while the PRO version is $4,200 (includes 12 months support and upgrades). New purchases of MotionBuilder 5.5 will receive a free upgrade to version 6 when it ships.

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